- Cancel automatic bills that you don’t use anymore– Every year I review how often we use Netflix and Amazon to see if the monthly (or yearly) fees are still needed. There might be other things that your pay for monthly that you don’t need, which brings me to
- Cut out that coffee during the week– I know, sometimes I need to stop at Starbucks and get a coffee. But in all reality, I can make a coffee at home most days and make stopping for coffee a special treat. It can save more than you think.
- Review cable bill for any discounts (or cancel the extra packages you no longer use)- Thankfully we never subscribe to any movie networks or anything like that so we keep our bill pretty low. Thinking about cancelling your cable altogether? You can always use Hulu or Netflix to watch the shows you like and cut cable out completely.
- Review the necessary Bills: Is there any way to lower the payments? Possibly with both gas and electric, you can choose your provider. Would a new provider help save you some money? You can check the rates with someone like Direct Energy. Save up to 14%* over DP&L’s electricity rate, and up to 10%* over Duke Energy’s electricity rate. There’s more! Save up to *5% over The Illuminating Company’s electricity rate, and up to 3%* over Ohio Edison’s electricity rate. Direct Energy offers different savings depending on where you live: just plug in your zip code to learn about the offers available in your area!
- Watch how much electricity that is being used in your household– Is there a way to lower the amount? I don’t know about you but I’m always yelling at my children to turn off the lights. You could also lower the temp in the winter or watch an hour or 2 less TV to help with the bill. A little can be a lot.
- Sell off some items that aren’t needed– This is a big one. Yard sales can be awesome or sell back some things to a consignment store. If no one wants them, you can always donate them to your local charity and claim them on your taxes.
- Write out your meals for the week and stick to them– Your food budget can be your most important one.
- Slowly make your home more energy efficient– Instead of using your tax money on something you can wait on, use it to buy those new windows you know you need. Remember, these improvements could both help your gas and electric bill but also give you a tax credit.
